Considerations for Canine Rehab Protocols

The young and burgeoning field of canine rehabilitation is changing the way dogs recover from injury and surgery, with rehabilitation centers springing up across the country. The outmoded approaches of yesteryear, wherein animals were kept inactive through cage confinement or unmitigated pain, are disappearing in favor of more enlightened approaches adopted in human rehabilitation decades ago.

Veterinarians now look for more than just a good surgical outcome, seeking earlier return of neuromuscular control and function through active engagement of both the patient and client.

What Studies Show Although evidence is emerging in both human and veterinary physical therapy, human physical therapists and canine rehabilitators alike readily acknowledge the dearth of high-quality, randomized, controlled and sufficiently powered trials, individually evaluating each component of a multifaceted rehab protocol. Such studies would lend insight into the relative value of each modality and provide answers to persistent questions concerning rehabilitation.

It happens; clients get angry from time to time. Every position in the practice has had to deal with an angry client at some point. Clients get mad for a variety of reasons, but we can keep in mind some basic concepts no matter the reason. First, the angry client wants to be heard.